She Said Yes
by jojoStarr
Summary: Follow-up of This Lullaby. Bella and Edward's relationship progresses, but will anything occur to sabotage that? They say love conquers all things. Well...lets see if that statement holds true.
1. Chapter 1 Busted and Disgusted

**Hey all! So...call this a sequel, a follow-up story, whatever...I just couldn't leave This Lullaby alone. So many things were left unsaid. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this little intro chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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After the piano concert, Bella and Edward went home and showed each other just how much they loved one another other. Before they knew it, there was a baby, marriage, and everyone lived happily ever after…? _Right._ Now let's get on with the _real _story shall we? Lol. (Note: If you read this...I'm just joking. Kay?)

Busted and Disgusted

**(A couple of weeks after the concert; at Bella and Edward's dorm)**

_Ring. Ring._

I grumbled in frustration and kept my eyes shut. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"Bella, maybe it's time you answered his calls," Edward mumbled into my ear.

I struggled to turn around on the sofa we'd fallen asleep on last night and looked up at his face. His eyes were only half open, but it was enough for me to see the concern in them

"I'll call him tonight," I said, knowing I'd regret it later. But really, it was the right thing to do, for now.

A slow smile spread across his face and he tightened his arms around my waist. "Smart choice Love."

A tingle seemed to go up my spine as he spoke. Whether it was from his new nickname for me or the fact that his lips were resting at the base of my neck…I wasn't sure.

"What are we doing today?" he asked, as he continued the journey towards my lips.

"Ah… whatever…maybe Alice…" It was so hard to form a coherent sentence when his face was hovering less than an inch away from mine. And that intense look in his eyes as he looked down at me…I just knew he was up to something. And I would have made that clear, if his lips hadn't crashed onto mine a second later, erasing all logical thoughts from my head.

As if with minds of their own, my arms reached up and encircled his neck; pulling him closer. I felt him smile at my eagerness…but hey, what'd he expect?

I scooted over a little and his whole body, which he'd been balancing on his hand, seemed to land on me. Neither of us noticed though, because we were too far gone. The little bubble that seemed to form around us whenever we were together had made its appearance and our surroundings, were now forgotten.

He left my lips and began to trail kisses down my neck again, his hands playing with the ends of my shirt. It wasn't long before one finger, another, and soon his whole hand, slipped beneath and began to make their way up. The moment was so heated, with nothing but the sounds of our breaths to fill the room, it seemed nothing could break through.

That is, until we heard the voice.

"What in god's name is going on here?!"

Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I froze at the sound of his voice.

Pushing Edward off me, I jumped off the couch and attempted to straighten out my clothes while patting down my hair. I chanced a look at Edward and he was struggling to do the same.

Turning back towards the door, I prepared to face our fears. The look on his face as he shoved the door close behind him and stalked into the room allowed only a couple of thoughts to run through my head.

_Shit._

_I was soo de__ad._

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**A couple of notes. **

**1. Jacob will not be playing an important role in this story. In fact, I'm not sure if he'll be in it at all. So no, that was not him at the door. I'd like to think I'm smart and you have no idea who it is, but I'd be kidding myself.**

**2. This Lullaby got nominated for The Forbidden Fruit Award (Best Romance) at the Denali Coven. I'm so grateful to those of you who did that. The link is on my profile so don't forget to vote on May 15th. :)**

**3.**** If you're a little confused after reading this chapter...that was my intention...**

**All right, sorry for keeping you.**

**Please review and tell me what you thought. ;)**

**jojoStarr**


	2. Chapter 2 Room Problems

**Wow, thank you so much for all your kind reviews from the previous chapter! I was originally going to write down who got the guesses right, but there were too many...apparently, I'm not as smart and witty as I thought. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Previously: (I'll do these for you so you don't have to go back a chapter to refresh your memory.)

"What in god's name is going on here?!"

Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I froze at the sound of his voice.

Pushing Edward off me, I jumped off the couch and attempted to straighten out my clothes while patting down my hair. I chanced a look at Edward and he was struggling to do the same.

Turning back towards the door, I prepared to face our fears. The look on his face as he shoved the door close behind him and stalked into the room allowed only a couple of thoughts to run through my head.

_Shit._

_I was soo de__ad._

Room Problems

Before he had a chance to come any closer, I quickly stepped forward and stopped in front of him.

"Dad! Long time no see…" I said, quickly looking down and chuckling nervously. But when there was no response from him, I looked up and found he wasn't even looking at me. The death glare he was sending over my head caused me to immediately turn around and make sure Edward was all right.

He was okay, but it didn't take a genius to see that this situation was making him extremely uncomfortable. At least I wasn't the only one…

"Would you like to sit down?" I asked Charlie, gesturing to the sofa. But the look of disgust that flashed across his face as he looked at it made me realized it'd been a wasted attempt.

"Isabella Marie Swan."

He'd only called me once by my full name this year, and that had been for _extreme_ speeding. So, obviously he was annoyed, disgusted, and the steam that seemed to be puffing out of his ears signaled fury as well.

"Who is _he?_" he asked, not bothering to hide the anger in his tone.

This was not the way I'd wanted my father to meet my new boyfriend, but it was happening. The way in which he'd asked the question showed that he knew exactly what this young man was to me and was challenging me to answer differently. Well, I for one, was not going to back down.

"Dad, meet Edward, my boyfriend," I answered.

His posture turned rigid at the word and I watched as a series of emotions slipped through his eyes.

"I know you…" he muttered, peering intensely at Edward.

_Uh-Oh._ Before long, recognition had slapped him in the face and his already narrowed eyes, turned into slits.

"You're the boy who wouldn't stop hassling Jacob at the hospital when Bella was injured." He stated this with obvious contempt, but I wasn't paying attention. As soon as the word 'Jacob' had left his mouth, memories I'd tried so hard to block from my mind crashed down on me.

It's funny how that little word caused my mood to change entirely. As I took another look at Charlie, I was no longer afraid. I was no longer nervous as to what he thought of me after the little scene he'd witnessed when he'd walked into the room. It wasn't just the fact that we hadn't been doing anything but kissing, I found that I just didn't care.

I was eighteen years old, soon to be nineteen. That made me an adult. And if he thought he could just barge in here and tell me what to do, well, he had another thing coming for him.

"Well father, since you obviously already know who he is, might I ask how you got in here in the first place? I'm sure _my _door was locked." I made sure to emphasize the word 'my' because it didn't seem as though he knew we were living together.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself young lady?" he asked, looking appalled.

I raised an eyebrow as I defiantly returned the look. "What would you like for me to say? I've done nothing wrong. If anything it's you who should be apologizing for your bad manners. Apparently everyone but you knows a locked door stands for privacy."

His eyes widened in surprise and I suddenly realized the way I sounded.

_Rude_ and _disrespectful._

He may have done wrong, I may be an adult, but he was still my father…and I had no right to talk to him that way. No matter how right I was.

"I want this young man out. I need to speak with you privately," he said, all trace of emotion gone from his low voice. I was almost tempted to say '_Oh, so now you know what privacy means?!_' but that would have been pushing it.

I turned around to find Edward with his lips pursed while one hand ran thoughtfully through his bronze hair. Taking a couple steps, I closed the distance between us and flung my arms around his waist, not caring that a pair of eyes were watching my every movement.

"Go stay with Emmett and Jasper or something," I whispered into his ear so my father couldn't hear.

His arms tightened around me as he placed a soft kiss on my hair. "Call me when he leaves," he muttered, before pulling back slightly to look down at my face.

I gave a quick nod before pecking him on the lips and playfully shoving him towards the door. As he walked past Charlie, I didn't miss the tension emanating from his body as he struggled to maintain his composure.

There was a soft click as the door closed behind him and I let out a soft sigh, purposely blinking my eyes a couple of times. Now that Charlie was actually standing in front of me, I wished I'd just returned his calls earlier. I knew why he'd been calling, and I'd been avoiding it for as long as possible. But now we would have the issue of 'Edward and I' added onto that.

Rubbing my hands along the back of my neck, I turned around and sat down on the sofa. It wasn't long before he joined me.

"I don't remember us buying you this," he said suspiciously, referring to the sofa.

"Came with the place," I replied quickly. "Now, onto why you're here in the first place," I said, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, not so fast. We still have an unresolved issue here," he said, smugly, as if catching me in a lie.

I was beginning to get frustrated by this point and just wanted to get it over with. Rolling my shoulders to ease their tense stance, I turned on the cushion so I was facing him and crossed my legs.

"What would you like to know?" I asked, tersely.

"How long?" he asked, and I immediately knew what he was talking about.

"About a month," I answered, nonchalantly. I watched his profile stiffen and rolled my eyes as he turned to face me.

"You mean, you've been dating this…Eduardo guy for a month and neither your mother nor I had a clue?" he spat.

"His name is _Edward_…and Yeah," I replied, nodding my head casually. "Now onto to the reason for this _wonderful _visit," I added, when he refused to comment.

I could see he still had questions pertaining to the relationship, but he reluctantly agreed to my request.

"Why haven't you been returning my calls?" he asked, his voice taking on a slightly sad tone. As much as I hated to admit it, he was making me feel a little guilty.

"I knew what you were calling about and I wasn't ready to talk yet. In fact, I'm still not ready right _now…_"

"I know you said you would forgive me _someday_ Bella, but you don't understand how much this is killing me. Because of _my_ stupidity, your life was put in danger. I just…even now I can't believe that he would do something like that. I wish I could turn back time to the day in the hospital when you'd told me of his previous actions. If only I had listened and believed you…" He trailed off thoughtfully, while I sat in shocked silence.

My heart wanted so badly to forgive him right then and there, but my head was telling me otherwise. What kind of father would chose to believe someone else over their own child? It was easy to tell he felt great remorse for that, but he'd also done something unforgivable this morning. The look on his face as he'd walked into our room showed that he'd already made a judgment on Edward, and I was definitely annoyed by that.

"I can't do this dad…not now," I pleaded.

He looked at me with regretful eyes before quickly glancing down.

"I understand," he said, his voice gruff. My heart reached out to him even more and suddenly, I knew what I had to do.

"Dad?" he looked up with hopeful eyes at the sound of my voice. "I'll try to forget. I'll try to forgive you…but in return, you must do something for me too."

"Anything!" he seemed excited about this change in events, but he hadn't heard my request yet.

"You give Edward a chance," I said, watching him closely to see what his reaction would be.

It was just as I'd expected. He stiffened before me and the hopeful look was wiped off his face. But just as quickly as that tense posture had appeared, it was quickly replaced with weariness.

"All right," he said, tersely. "I'll try too."

I could feel a smile threatening to spread across my face as we shook hands in agreement.

As we sat in silence for a moment, I remembered something. "How'd you get in here anyways?" I was a hundred percent sure that after watching a movie last night, Edward had gotten up and locked the door before passing out on the sofa beside me.

A sheepish grin landed on Charlie's face as he stood up and walked towards the door. My curiosity peaked as he slipped a hand behind his back and pulled something out of a pocket.

A silent gasp escaped my lips as he swung a key in front of my face.

"You have a key to our room?!" I blurted, realizing all too late I'd let the wrong word slip.

"_Our_ room? Who else lives with you?" he inquired, his brows furrowing in suspicion.

_Oh dear. I'm a horrible liar…how do I get out of this one?!_

"Belllaa!" Never before had I been happier to see the tiny form of my best-friend bound through my door and into the room.

"Alice! She spends so much time here, it's like we practically live together," I lied, chuckling nervously.

Charlie's lips formed an 'oh' shape while Alice simply raised a brow in amusement.

"Well, I told the woman at the housing office that I wanted to surprise my daughter with a visit…so…but I'll be giving the key back today, no worries," he added, trying to reassure me.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and threw him a weak smile.

"Okay, well, I'll see you in a couple months for Christmas."

"Are you bringing anyone?" he asked, glancing at Alice as she skipped over to the recently vacated sofa. But I had a feeling he was talking about someone else as well.

"I don't know…haven't decided yet," I said, thoughtfully. Really…we hadn't talked about this at all yet.

He nodded slightly and turned around to walk away.

"Tell mom I said hey!" I called to his retreating form.

He threw a thumbs-up over his shoulder and a, "Got it", which caused me to smile. It seemed like things would get back to normal between us soon…if he cooperated.

I closed the door behind him and walked over to Alice. "I owe you…big time. Do you have some sort of sixth sense?" I asked, plopping down on the floor by her feet.

"Nope! Edward sent me up here to make sure you'd be okay, so I just did a little eavesdropping!" she said, seemingly proud of herself.

"Speaking of Edward, where is he?" I asked, standing up and stretching.

"In my room with Jasper. They're watching T.V. or something…do you want to go over there?" she asked, standing up beside me.

I glanced down at my attire and frowned, perhaps I should change my clothes first.

"All right. I have to change first though so I'll meet you there. Tell Edward he might want to come change too, in case we decide to go somewhere."

"Will do!" she said, already skipping out the door.

Walking into the bedroom, I looked through the closet for something to wear. I'd just finished pulling on a sweater when I heard the phone in the living room ringing. I stumbled out and hurried to catch it before it fell on the answering machine.

"Hello?" I asked, breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"_Hello. This is Mariam from the Housing Office. Am I speaking to Isabella Swan?"_

Recognition of her name hit me and I sat down on the sofa.

"Yes, this is she. How may I help you?"

"_I'm calling about your room arrangements…If you recall, at the beginning of the semester, we had a problem when assigning roommates?" _

Oh man, not now. Of course earlier, I would have been happy to have my own room. But now, it was hard to go through an hour without Edward by my side. I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest as the prospect of moving out flashed through my mind.

"Uh-hmm?" I mumbled, not sure if I could form a coherent sentence.

"_Good. Well, everything's been settled. All students who had the problem have now been assigned new rooms, which they must occupy before this weekend is over. In your case…you'll be moving out."_

"Is there an alternative to this? Could I maybe just…stay with my current roommate?"

"_Aww, so you guys have been getting along a lot better?_"

"Yes! Much better!" Could she have a say in whether or not I kept my room?

"_I'm very sorry, but that isn't possible. Now that the problem is fixed, everything must return to normal before something capable of jeopardizing the university's reputation occurs. That's the reason I was told, anyways. Males and Females who had not originally signed up for co-ed bedrooms can now get the privacy they deserve."_

I could feel my heart sinking further at her answer. To live without Edward from now on? We'd just have to schedule daily sleepovers I guess…

_"Oh! Did I forget to mention you'll be moving to an all girl's dorm? No males allowed in the building, curfew at midnight…your room is number 2 in the Masen building. I think that's all the information you'll need. If you have any more questions, you know where to find me!"_

As she hung up on me, I found myself staring at the phone in shock. All those rules…what were we in…high school?

They couldn't do this…kick me out of our room.

I pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and quickly ran out the door, heading for the elevator. I know I'd said I would never do this, but Edward's relationship with the university could come in very handy today. This was a favor I was sure he wouldn't refuse.

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**Ooo there you go. :D**

**Please review with what you thought of the chapter. **

**jojoStarr**


	3. Chapter 3 Esme

**Thank you guys for your amazing reviews. :D I'm glad you like the story so far.**

**Also, a thank you to **librarymom** for giving me some ideas on Esme. You never got to meet her in 'This Lullaby' and I was going to have that occur in this story anyways, but her future reactions towards Bella will be due in part to what she told me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

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Esme

When I arrived at Alice's room, I didn't even bother to knock; the matter at hand was urgent. I walked right in and froze in my tracks.

"Where is he?" I asked Alice, who was hunched over Rose's feet, with a bottle of red nail polish in hand.

I seemed to have startled her, because the bottle went flying into the air at the sound of my voice, it's contents flowing down Rose's right leg.

"Oh! I didn't hear you come in!" Alice exclaimed, already reaching for the box of Kleenex tissues on the table beside her. As she began to clean up the mess, Rose sent me an accusing look.

"He's at Emmett and Jasper's place…I think he got bored," she muttered, handing Alice a bottle of nail polish remover.

I frowned at this turn of events and impatiently bounced from foot to foot. "Well where's their room? I have something very important to tell him."

"This hall, two doors on the right," she answered, seeming a little surprised by my urgency. "Anything you want to tell us?" she added.

"In a little bit," I called back, as I made my way out the door. Once I found the room she'd been talking about, I knocked. No need to embarrass myself by walking into the wrong room.

I watched the doorknob turn and the door opened to reveal a grinning Emmett.

"Bella! To what do I owe to this lovely surprise?"

"Is Edward here?" I asked, struggling to see into the room since his body was blocking the entire doorway.

"Yeah, let-" he began, but that was all I needed to hear.

I impatiently shoved past him and scanned the room in front of me. There he was, lounging on a sofa.

"We have a problem," I blurted out, as soon as his eyes locked with mine.

He shot up in the seat and immediately made his way over to me, concern already evident on his facial features.

"What is it? Does it have to do with your father?" he asked, pulling me towards the sofa he'd been on recently.

I furiously shook my head as I sat down and had opened my mouth to explain the situation, when I realized we had an audience. Emmett and Jasper were standing beside me, arms crossed, with very curious expressions on their faces. I shook my head laughingly at them before speaking of the phone call I'd received. The response was silence, and I looked from face to face, noting the sadness on Jasper's, the shock on Edward's, and the…what the hell? Why did Emmett have a _smug _look on his face?

"What's up with you?" I asked him accusingly.

"Why, nothing is up with me Bella. Why do you ask?"

"There's nothing funny about this Emmett," Edward said slowly, seemingly as confused as I was.

"I don't think there's anything funny about it either, but now things get to be even. You've had it so easy having your girlfriend living with you. And because your parents trust you, they don't pay surprise visits to your assigned room to make sure it's clear of inappropriate activity," he answered.

_True. We did have it easy. But unlike our friends, we obviously weren't doing anything._

"I happen to know that every night, you and Rose end up in the same bed. Whether it's in this room, or Rose's, which is just next door. And poor Jasper here, has to protect his eyes by taking refuge in Alice's room…not that he minds" Edward retorted, the smugness evident in _his _features.

Emmett huffed and made his way towards the T.V. at the center of the room. "It's not the same thing," he mumbled as he went.

I sighed and thought back to the reason I was here as Jasper walked away too.

"Is there anything you could do to fix this? I mean, I don't want to move," I whined to Edward, hoping he knew what I was talking about.

"I don't know…we could talk to her, but I don't know how she'd react, considering you're my girlfriend," he muttered.

"We'll never know unless we try," I urged.

He nodded and gently tugged me towards the door. "Come on then. I think she's on campus today."

--z--

As soon as we stepped outside, I let him lead the way, because I had no idea where we were going. Because it was so early, there weren't many people outside, but it was pretty chilly, and I hunched closer to Edward as we walked towards our destination.

We walked into the lobby of a rather large building and he pulled us towards an elevator. As soon as he pushed the button for the 6th floor and the motion of being moved up began, the reality of what was occurring hit me.

_Oh man! I'm going to meet his mother! Should have dressed up…need to make a good first impression…_

I'd unconsciously begun tugging on my clothes and hair as these thoughts ran through my mind, so I was surprised when Edward clamped both of his arms over mine.

"Everything will be fine," he soothed, obviously thinking I was panicking for a completely different reason.

_What if she doesn't like me?!_

There was no extra time to elaborate further on that thought because there was the little 'ding' as the elevator came to a stop on our floor.

We stepped out and he pulled me down an empty hallway, finally stopping before a door.

"You ready?" he asked, giving my hand a squeeze.

I shook my head no, and frowned as he began to laugh.

Before I could stop him, the door was opened and we stepped into a large room. I let my eyes run over it, looking for any sign of life, when I heard a female voice.

"It needs to be here by five. That's as long as they're willing to wait." I followed the sound and my eyes landed on the office table and black, leather chair at the edge of the room. The chair was turned away from us, but caramel colored hair could be seen over the top. Edward began walking towards her, so I followed. We'd just stopped in front of the desk when she spoke once more.

"All right. Bye."

_This was it!_

As the chair spun around, it seemed as if everything was going in slow motion.

"Edward! What a lovely surprise!" she exclaimed, smiling radiantly at her son. Her head turned towards me and I froze in shock.

She was _beautiful._

Her caramel colored hair fell in locks and curls around her heart shaped face. A pair of brown eyes were framed with long, thick lashes…like Edward. But the most noticeable feature of all was that she looked so…young.

Edward walked around the desk and pulled her up into a hug while I struggled to regain my composure.

"Mom, this is Bella," he said, gesturing grandly to me. I could feel my face getting warmer as the woman turned once more to look at me.

"Hi," I said meekly, raising my right hand in a stiff wave.

_Hi?! What's wrong with you Bella?!_

As Mrs. Cullen shook my hand, I glanced over her head to find Edward shaking with silent laughter. He was soo paying for that later…

When she pulled back her hand, her gaze lingered on mine a little longer than necessary before quickly glancing back to Edward questioningly.

"We have a problem," he said, repeating my earlier words.

She glanced down at the watch on her hand before gesturing to the seats in front of her. After we were seated, I nudged Edward in the ribs, showing he was going to be the one speaking. He nodded understandingly and spoke of the situation, beginning from the problem at the beginning of the semester, and now to the phone call. Once finished, he sunk back into his seat and looked up at her expectantly.

Her eyes fell to our entwined fingers in his lap and she raised an inquiring brow. "So you two are…_dating_?" she asked, almost as if in disbelief.

"Yes," Edward answered, while I merely gave a quick nod of the head.

"This isn't one of your little-"

"No, mother," Edward cut in, sounding a bit frustrated. I watched his mom's expression change to one of surprise and delight as her eyes locked with mine. She stood up from her seat and walked around the desk, quickly making her way to me. Before I knew it, I was engulfed into a hug almost similar to those of Emmett's.

"Thank you so much," she whispered into my ear, before pulling back to look at my face. I'm not sure what my expression was, but I was pretty surprised by her reaction. What was she talking about?

"Thank you?" I said, though it came out more as a question.

"Oh you may not understand now sweetie, but you will in due time," she said, patting my shoulder lightly while smiling.

As curious as I was to know what she was talking about, I let it go. I was just happy she seemed to be accepting me so easily. But it would have been surprising if she hadn't. She just seemed to give off this feeling of kindness and love. It was evident in her voice when she spoke to Edward, in her face as she looked at him, making her love for him obvious as well.

The clearing of a throat caused us to look down at a confused Edward.

"So…can you do anything about it?" he asked, cutting to the chase.

His mom looked thoughtful as she leaned back into her desk, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I'd heard of that problem, and wasn't too pleased at the time. I didn't know you were a victim of it though. The decisions made pertaining to it were made completely by others, so if I were to throw in a sudden decision at this time, they might be suspicious. Though I trust you two, that can't be easily said for everyone. It would bring up too many issues of unfairness etc…"

_Oh no._

"My suggestion right now would be to move out as planned Bella," she said, turning to me. "Stay there for about a month or so, and when things have settled, move back in with Edward. That way, we avoid unnecessary questioning, and there is less lying."

_One month? _

I glanced down at Edward to find he was already looking at me. "If that is the only other alternative, then I guess we'll do it," he said, no trace of emotion in his voice.

"Yes. And I will look into this to see what I can do. So you never know…" she added, obviously trying to cheer us up.

So she'd still try to find us another way. I may not have to live in that place for long, but the fact that she trusted us and was willing to do so much, was enough to make me smile.

"Thank you Mrs. Cullen," I said, turning back to her.

"It's not a problem. And if you ever need anything else, don't be afraid to find me here."

I nodded and reached out a hand to help Edward up from the chair, when she spoke again.

"And please, it's Esme. Mrs. Cullen makes me feel old."

I chuckled quietly as Edward stood up beside me. She may _feel _old, but she looked the farthest thing from it.

"It was nice meeting you," I called, as an impatient Edward began to pull me towards the door.

"And I the same. Edward, you should bring her over for the holidays," she added.

"We'll see," he replied, looking down at me. "Maybe we can work something out between both of our families?" he asked.

I quickly nodded my head, and gave Esme one final wave before closing the door behind me. We walked back to the elevator we'd used to get up here and once inside, I leaned my back against it, closing my eyes.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked, his musical voice sounding right next to my ear. I opened my eyes to find he was standing less than an inch in front of me, watching in confusion.

"Your mom liked me," I answered simply.

"Well of course she did. What'd you expect?" he asked.

I looked back into those pools of green and realized I had no idea. I'd obviously been worried for nothing.

"I don't know…just an automatic reaction I guess. But she also said she'll be looking into our problem, so I may not have to be gone for long," I added perkily.

A groan escaped his lips and he rested his forehead against mine; his arms encircling my waist.

"Let's not talk about it…it's still morning, and we have until tomorrow," he murmured, his lips getting closer to mine with each word.

I smiled as I realized what he wanted and quickly brought my arms around his neck.

"All right."

'ding!'

He sighed heavily against me and pecked my lips as the elevator doors opened. "We'll continue this later," he said, before leading the way out.

There were actually people in the lobby this time around when we came out. And a few of the adults at certain posts paused to watch us. I glanced at Edward and noticed for the first time the old sweat pants and sweat-shirt he was wearing. Were they staring at _him_?

But I soon realized it wasn't a bad type of staring. For they all merely greeted Edward, obviously familiar with him, and I got introduced to a couple of people.

When we stepped out, the sunlight hit us square in the faces and I blinked, having gone blind for a moment. Although it was still a little chilly, there were people lounging outside at this time too, and I realized we really had no plans for the day.

"Does Alice have anything planned?" I asked, as we reached our building.

"No. But if she does, we're not going; because I want to spend as much time as possible with you before you leave," he answered.

I nodded in agreement and sighed as we finally reached our room.

"Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, we can go out to lunch together, and I have until midnight to be with you after classes…" I said, sinking down into the sofa.

"I wish I could see the bright side of this like you, love. But I appreciate your attempts," he said, sitting down beside me.

_See the bright side? What bright side? I was jus trying to enjoy this time!_

"Would you like to continue what we started earlier?" he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I grinned and scooted closer to him.

"And what would that be?" I asked, but jumped as I felt a vibration in my back pocket. Reaching back, I pulled out my phone and looked at the caller ID; a groan left my lips and I threw the device at Edward. "You talk to her."

He threw me a disapproving look before flipping it open.

"Hello Alice."

"_Where are you guys?! We've been waiting for forever! Emmett won't stop complaining about how hungry he is…"_

"We just got back from seeing mom. Apparently Bella has to move out, but you go ahead and eat out. Bella and I will just stay…"

"_Na-uh! Don't you even dare mister! You two get your skinny asses down here and we are all going out to lunch! Bella is our friend too, and it seems you guys have some explaining to do."_

"Please understand Alice-"

"_I'm not listening…"_

"I need to spend as much-"

"_Still not listening…"_

"Maybe we should just go," I offered. "We can ditch them later."

He sighed in visible resignation before returning his attention to our caller.

"We'll be down in a few minutes," and without waiting for a response, hung up.

As he set the phone on the floor, I stretched and began to stand up, only to be pulled back down.

"Not so fast," he said, before attacking my lips.

I smiled and pulled back a little. "Eager aren't we?" I quipped, using his own words against him.

"So?" he retorted, brushing his lips against mine.

"Fine, but just for a couple minutes," I said, clasping my hands behind his head. But as he pulled me into his lap and slowly parted my lips with his tongue, I knew we'd be there for much longer.

Screw everyone else. Emmett wasn't going to die from hunger. And Alice would just have to deal.

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Review and tell me what you thought. :D

**jojoStarr**


	4. Chapter 4 Moving Out

**Thanks once again for all you're wonderful reviews everyone! I'm very behind on replying since I haven't had much time on the computer lately, but I was able to read every one.**

**I'm sorry if there are many errors in this chapter. I just finished typing it and wanted to get it out since I haven't updated in a while.**

**Note: Two minor character from 'This Lullaby' come back in this chapter.**

**Ed: He's the old man who brought Bella's car to the school. And it seemed as though he was hitting on her. When he met her, she was with Jayden.**

**And the other person you should know. I won't ruin it for you.**

**Dedication: Librarymom. Like I said, I owe you big time. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Moving Out

"All right, I think that's everything."

My head shot towards Edward's as he slammed the trunk of the Volvo closed, and I could feel my eyes widen with nervousness.

"Are you sure? I think we need to go back and give the room a once over…you know, make sure we didn't forget-" I stopped talking when a burst of laughter drifted over from his direction. Squinting in the dark, I struggled to see the expression on his face. What was so funny?

"Do you know how many times we've gone back to that room to give it the 'once over'?" he asked, coming up to put his arms around me.

"I know, but-"

"And this isn't the last time you'll be over here. If you forget anything, you can pick it up while you're over tomorrow."

"But I don't want to move…"

"Believe me love, when I say I don't want you to either. But it's already 11 pm and I don't want you to encounter any problems."

A resigned sigh escaped my lips as I nodded against his chest, before sliding into the passenger's seat. As I buckled my seatbelt, he started the car and we were on our way.

My new building wasn't that far away so it was only a matter of minutes before we arrived.

"You think they'll let you in?" I asked as he carried the suitcases out of the trunk.

"They must. I'm not sure how far you would make it if you had to carry both of these by…I mean they must," he corrected, after noticing my defensive posture. "Come on."

As we walked across the parking lot, I could see slivers of light slipping through some of the windows in the building. And judging from them, it seemed this building was pretty similar to my previous one.

I held the door open for Edward once we reached it, and was immediately hit with a shower of light.

"Hold it right there young man, where do you think you're going?"

I let go of the door as soon as Edward had both of the bags through and turned to see who had spoken to him. There was an elderly male, clad in overalls, sitting at some sort of office post in the middle of the little room. I don't know why, but something about him seemed strangely familiar.

"I'm just going to help my sister get her bags up to her new room. Then, I'll be leaving." Sneaking a sideways glance, I was surprised at the seriousness Edward's face held. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed him on the spot.

"Your 'sister' my ass." My head shot towards the old man in surprise, and I watched him lift himself up from the chair. "Come on, I'll be escorting both of you to the room."

We waited for him to catch up to us and when he did, I realized just why he looked so familiar.

"Ed?"

"Well hello Little Miss, we meet again!" he exclaimed, adding his famous wink.

Plastering a fake smile on my face, I turned to lead the way to the elevator. "Isn't that just great?" I asked, the sarcasm dripping off every word.

We walked out of the elevator and he proceeded to speak.

"Sure is! So how's your baby?"

"What?!"

I jumped in surprise at Edward's tone and turned to find him with a shocked expression on his face. Then, realizing the reason for his reaction, I struggled to stifle my laughter.

"I had an accident a couple of months ago. She's still in the shop," I said, answering Ed's question.

"Oh. Must have been hard," he said, looking at me with genuine pity. Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled as understanding dawned on Edward's features.

I located my room and paused in front of it to pull the key out of my pocket.

"So do you work here Ed?" I asked, opening the door.

"Yep! Ever since I got fired at my old job for not being reliable or some other nonsense about being too old, I've been working here!"

"Oh." I pushed the door open and fumbled in the dark for a light switch. Once lit, I opened the door wider for Edward to come in.

"Well, do you think you could leave the two of us alone for just a little while? I promise we won't do anything." I looked deeply into his eyes, trying to convey the image of total honesty and…

"All right. But if he's not down in ten minutes, I'm coming up to get him," he added, throwing a warning glance at Edward before making his way down the hall.

I closed the door in relief and turned around to look at the room for the first time. It wasn't _that _bad. It seemed to be a miniature version of Edward's room. All the components, minus the living room, except in smaller sizes.

There were two twin beds, both vacant, set at opposite ends of the room. Currently Edward was setting my things next to the one by the door. The other, by the window, seemed to be taken. When I looked a little closer, I could see a pair of pom-poms at the foot of the bed, and peeking from beneath it was a pair of tennis shoes. The final item, a cheerleading uniform, hung on the door of one of the closets in the room.

"A cheerleader," I stated, making my way over to my bed. "Have any idea who?"

He shook his head no and gestured to the suitcases with his hands. "I wish I could help you unpack these, but we don't have enough time."

"It's okay, I'll take care of them."

He sighed and raised a hand to stroke my cheek. "How do you know that Ed guy?"

"He brought my car over here for me," I answered, remembering my first encounter with him.

"I thought so. Well, you'll be happy to know that I called the garage this afternoon and your car should be back in a couple of days. But until then, I'll pick you up in the morning…if that's okay with you?"

"Of course it's okay with me," I replied, closing the small gap between our bodies.

"Good. Now I'd like to kiss you."

I looked up into those green eyes with amusement and struggled to stop a smile from spreading across my face. "You know, I don't think we have enough time. Ten minutes was up a _long _time ago."

Ignoring my statement, he brought his arms around my waist, before lowering his head to mine. My arms made their way around his neck as his lips lightly brushed, before pressing against mine.

"I love you." I opened the eyes I hadn't even realized I'd closed and smiled at the expectancy his held.

"Love you too."

I followed him as he made his way to the door and silently closed it behind him. Now to tackle the next obstacle at hand.

Opening up one of the suitcases, I took out a set of bed sheets and made up the bed, throwing a pillow on top. Then, I pulled out a shirt I'd stolen from Edward this morning without his knowledge, and changed into it; rolling up the sleeves that dropped farther than my hands. As soon as I was finished with that, I arranged the rest of my things in the empty closet.

By the time I was finished, it was midnight, and I glanced at the empty bed of my room mate in fascination.

Now ready to go to bed, I pulled out my cell phone, hoping to send Edward a quick text message 'goodnight' before I went to sleep. But when the phone finally turned on, I was surprised to see I had 13 missed calls from the same person.

Charlie.

Yesterday afternoon, Edward had turned my phone off after Alice's call and it'd been like that ever since.

I'd just seen him yesterday, so why would he be calling me?

_Call him now and get it over with? Or wait until tomorrow?_

With a sigh, I lay back on the bed and dialed the number. Whatever it was, it must have been important for him to call so many times.

"Hullo?" his voice was groggy when he finally answered and I knew I'd woken him up from sleep. _Oh well…_

"Hey dad."

There were hushed voices on his end, and judging from a shuffling noise, it sounded like he was moving.

"Dad?" I asked, wondering why it was taking him so long to answer.

"One moment Isabella."

I struggled to stop my eyes from rolling at _the _voice. _What'd I do now?_

"All right. Well, first things first. Are you just now seeing my calls?" he asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah, my phone's been turned off these past two days. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, to cut to the chase, I'll let you know that I have a question for you. All I'm asking for is the truth. Okay?"

"Sure…"

"All right. Were you or were you not sharing the same room with your boyfriend?"

A breath I hadn't even known I was holding left my mouth in surprise. How had he found out? Or maybe he hadn't…

"I- psh…I- I- don't know what you're talking about…"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah?" I answered, though it came out sounding more like a question.

_Oh my god! Please don't have any proof!_

"Okay. Since you've chosen to so blatantly lie to me…"

"Lie? Why would I lie about something like that dad? And where'd you get the crazy idea?" I asked, chuckling nervously in my attempt to blow this off as no big deal.

Something short of a snort came from his end of the phone as soon as I finished speaking. _Not good._

"I would stop speaking now if I were you. You always were a terrible liar…"

I froze in place as I realized I'd been frantically waving an arm in the air, while madly glancing around the room as though I was lying to someone in front of me.

"The woman at the housing office let it slip after…"

_Curses Mariam! _It's like the woman was out to get me!

"my suspicions had already been heightened in _your _room. I know for a fact that those rooms do not come with a plasma flat screen TV or sofas. Imagine my surprise when I heard this. But then it all began to make sense when she went on to explain that you having to share a room with this boy had been the school's problem."

"Yes! See! It wasn't my fault!" I interrupted, excited at this change in events.

"That is not an excuse!" I shrunk back into the bed at the harshness of his tone.

"If you were the daughter I know, you would have told me about this the moment you found out. You very well knew that your mother and I would have found you an apartment to live in until things were right…"

"See, I was going to tell you…" I began, my hand rising to nervously rub the back of my neck.

"But wait! I'm not finished. This wouldn't have been a very big issue if it wasn't for the fact that you two were _dating! _Imagine this from my point of view for a moment:"

My hear rate had reached an all time high at this point in time because I could tell he was getting worked up. And worked up Charlie…was not good.

"my 18 year old daughter has been involved in a one month relationship. No problem there. But guess what? She lives with the guy! And to make matters worse, kept it all from her parents. The parents she knew would disapprove of such an arrangement and would take steps towards fixing it!"

"I didn't-"

"I don't want to hear it Bella! Your mother is so disappointed in you right now, she refuses to speak of you."

_No, not mom. _I don't know whether it was from the guilt I was feeling on having kept these from my parents, or the anger that threatened to explode within me at Charlie's decision to ignore any explanation I tried to offer, but no sooner had those words left his mouth than tears began to sting the back of my eyes.

"But dad-"

"So your mother and I have come to an agreement. But you might be able to get out of it if you answer this question correctly."

"Dad…"

"Mariam told me you were to move out of that room by today, so let's assume you've done so."

"I have."

"Here's the question: If given the chance, would you move back in with the boy?"

As innocent as that question sounded, I knew my father too well, and knew exactly what he was asking.

'_If you want us to forgive you, dump him. If not, your mother and I have an agreement, and we'll follow through.' _Now that was more like what he was really saying.

But suddenly, I didn't care. Because when it came to Edward, there was just no compromising. I don't know what my parents planned to do, but surely it couldn't be _that _bad. And it was worth loosing everything if I got to keep my relationship with Edward.

"Yes. I would. Because I love him and he loves me. I can't stand being away from him dad, and it's not like we've done anything…"

"Love? What do you know about love Isabella? You thought you loved Jacob, but look at how he turned out. And that was after knowing him for almost your entire life! You've known this guy for a couple of months and you're coming to the same conclusion? Love is what your mother and I have…20 years of marriage! It's a little four letter word, but it has a very big meaning. And as far as I'm concerned, you know nothing about it."

"Will you just…"

"But since you obviously 'love' this boy more than your own parents, let him take care of you. Let him pay your monthly car and cell phone bills, give you a monthly allowance for food, wants, needs, and let him pay for your college education. I mean, if he loves you like you say, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Dad, what are you saying?" I asked, my voice high with fear.

"I'm saying that you've decided you're a big girl who doesn't need her parents taking care of her anymore…which you are. You're eighteen, an adult, and we understand. So we're going to give you the freedom you deserve. We are no longer responsible for you financially, emotionally, physically, you name it. You are now under the care of the one you love the most."

"What?! I don't want-"

"We have moral standards to uphold Isabella, and from the decision you've made, you obviously don't share the same beliefs as us. I know we've had our little arguments in the past and were always able to fix them, but ever since you became a college student, those problems have only become bigger. And I've tried, but it's getting harder to fix them. Now, I'm not sure, but I think I may have lost my daughter…goodbye Bella."

_Beeeeeeep--_

"Dad? You there?!"

"Agh!" The frustration I'd been holding in finally made its appearance and I flung the device across the room so hard, it left a minor dent into the wall before landing on the carpet.

"Well done! I am soo not paying for that though," a voice said sarcastically.

My head snapped to the door and took in the figure of a familiar blonde.

"How long have you been standing there?" I demanded, while getting up to pick up the phone.

"Chillax," she said, rolling her eyes as she sauntered into the room, "All I saw was you little tantrum."

I gritted my teeth at her response and struggled to maintain my composure. _You could have a worse room mate…don't forget that!_

"Oh, and wipe your face. It looks like a frickin skunk!" she added.

My hand quickly swiped at my face, revealing tears I hadn't even know I was shedding, which had caused my mascara to run down my face as well.

"Do I know you?" I asked, making my way back to my bed. Watching her open her closet, I couldn't help but feel that I'd met her before. I seemed to be meeting everybody today.

"I don't know. Should you?" she shot back, beginning to undress before me. I sat down on my bed and turned away to avoid any accidental glimpses.

"My name's Bella," I offered.

"Ah, well then you should know me. How's little Eddie doing?"

On its own accord, my head swung to her at his name and I looked at her suspiciously. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not. Because she was in nothing, but her undergarments as she placed both hands on her waist.

"Something wrong?" she asked, raising a perfectly shaped brow as her lips slowly pulled into a smirk.

My eyes zeroed in once more to the hands placed on the hips and recognition hit me. The girl from my first day here…

"Tanya?" I asked uncertainly. There were so many of them.

"Well done, girl. Now you may want to look away. I go to bed in the nude."

My eyes widened in surprise and I almost fell off the bed in my haste to get beneath the covers and face the opposite direction.

"What is wrong with you? I was just kidding, but what the hell? You're a girl too!"

I pushed the covers back down to my waist and let out a sigh of frustration. My mood had already been down before I'd met her, but now, I could relate to the phrase _'I'm so mad, I could punch a baby.'_

I unconsciously pulled Edward's shirt closer to my face, instantly relaxing as his scent hit my nose. I turned and flashed my room mate a tight smile, showing that I wasn't going to stoop to her level.

"Goodnight," I said, before turning off my lamp on the little night stand by my bed.

"Nice shirt by the way. Lauren will _love_ hearing about this," she called from across the room.

_Fantastic._

Edward leaves my side for one hour and this is what happens. My parents practically disown me, and my new room mate is my enemy's best-friend. Life just couldn't be better--note sarcasm.

_Beep!_

I reached over to the nightstand and fumbled in the dark for my phone, which miraculously, still seemed to be functioning.

_I miss you._

_Hope everything is okay._

_Sleep well_

_Love, _

_Edward_

So short, yet so sweet. I hurried to reply.

_Miss you more!_

_And have lots to tell you tomorrow._

_I love you too,_

_Bella_

As soon as I pushed send, I realized something. I couldn't tell him what had occurred with my parents. If I did, knowing his over reactive character, he would blame the whole thing on himself. And no doubt do something stupid, like break up with me, to keep the relationship between my parents and I alive.

But there was no denying the fact that I needed help. As calm as my demeanor probably seemed to the girl across the room, I was anything but that. Maybe my dad had been over reacting and would call me tomorrow to take back his words. Or better yet…maybe this was all a dream and I would wake up tomorrow in Edward's arms.

But something was telling me that all this had really happened. And as much as I hated to admit it, my parents were serious about their decision. I could call and apologize, but I couldn't do what they wanted me to do. I was going to need help from now on, but I wasn't going to get it from Edward.

No. I had to find another way. Or maybe, just someone else.

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Did anyone see that coming? I didn't. Lol.

**Review please. :D**

**jojoStarr**


	5. Chapter 5 Bad News

**Hey everyone. **

**So here's the next update. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I literally did change this entire chapter 6 times. And I know it's not going to be as well written as my other chapters because it was hard to pick up writing again after so long. It's a little shorter and uneventful, but it's important for the story. So... go read! :)**

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Bad News

"All right then… you're all dismissed. See me if you have any questions."

The professor's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I hurried to pack up my things, realizing the class was over. My mind had been occupied throughout the entire class with thoughts of what had occurred last night, while simultaneously throbbing with the headache I'd woken up with this morning. I'd been lucky Alice had been the one to pick me up because with the way I was feeling, I was sure I didn't look like my usual self. Her continuous banter had been enough to keep her occupied during the complete car ride to campus and she hadn't seemed to notice anything off about me. However if Edward had been the one to pick me up as planned, I'm not sure how long I would have been able to keep my mouth shut. It's a good thing he'd had to do…whatever Alice had said he'd had to do.

"Hey. You okay?"

I glanced up to see Jayden staring anxiously down at me.

"Yeah…why?" I asked, realizing I'd lost myself again.

"Well…you've been silently standing there for at least a minute now," he answered, looking slightly uneasy as he searched my face.

A soft sigh escaped my lips and I bent over to pick up my bag. As I stood up, a queasy feeling overtook me and the pounding in my head increased – while the room began to tilt in odd directions.

"Bella?"

I felt his hands on my shoulders as he struggled to steady me and I quickly closed my eyes. When the throbbing calmed down, I slowly exhaled and opened them, to find Jayden looking pretty worried.

"I'm fine" I quickly said, but he didn't look too convinced. "Really," I added, before hastily walking past him, to head out the door.

"Are you sure? Because you look sick…maybe I should take you to the hospital," his voice sounded from behind me, but I rapidly shook my head, which caused a brief painful sensation.

"No…" A hospital was the last place I wanted to be right now. "It's just a headache…and I have a lot on my mind."

I turned around to give him a reassuring smile before continuing on my way – the opposite direction from my next class. The truth was, this didn't feel like a little headache. The incessant pounding was almost enough to make me cry, but I knew all I needed was a place to just sit down and think.

I pulled my jacket tighter around myself and now turned towards the Meyer housing building as I realized I still had a key to Edward's room.

My body seemed to relax almost as soon as I let myself into the building, but even more when I entered his room. I'd only been gone for a day, but it felt like I hadn't lived here in weeks.

I took off my backpack and shoes and quickly made my way to the bedroom. As soon as I lay down on the bed, I took a deep breath, and smiled as his familiar scent surrounded me once more. This was what my body and mind needed…a moment of peacefulness. But I also needed closure, and I knew I wouldn't get that until I talked to my parents once more.

I could call them now, but they'd probably be at work. However, if they didn't answer, they'd see the missed call and would at least call me back later.

I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed my mom's number. As the ringing sound filled my ears, I realized I didn't know what I wanted to say to her. If she was just as mad at me as my dad was, wouldn't this just be making matters worse for _me_?

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end sounded exhausted and weary…nothing like my mother's.

"Mom?" I asked, a little hesitantly.

"Oh hi honey. How are you?" Her tone seemed a little brighter, but something about her just didn't sound right.

"I'm fine…Um are you okay?"

"Well," she began, a soft sigh leaving her lips. "I'm as good as I'm going to get with this happening to me…"

_Was I the one making her weary?_

"Is it because of what's happening with me and dad? I'm so sorry mom –"

"You and your father? What's happening between you two?" she asked, sounding alert.

"You know…when he came here and got mad because I was living with my boyfriend and hadn't told him? Then he said that you guys weren't going to pay for my college and…" I stopped when I heard what sounded faintly like sniffling from her end. "Mom?"

"He didn't tell you did he?" she asked, her voice slightly quivering. I could feel a slight chill creep up my spine at her words. Whatever she had to say obviously wasn't good if she was crying.

"Tell me what mom?" I asked, my body already tense in preparation for her answer.

"Your father was supposed to tell you when he came over there. He told me this wasn't something we should tell you over the phone, but rather face to face," she said, her voice rising in panic. "What am I supposed to do now? Just tell you I have breast cancer like it's the most common thing in the –"

At first, I didn't understand why she had gotten silent, but as I ran her last couple sentences in my mind once more, my thundering heartbeat was the only sound that filled my ears.

"_I'm so sorry honey…"_

I could feel my body quivering slightly as I struggled to get a grip on my emotions. But it was too much. And I had nobody here to comfort me or to help me understand. So I let it all out. The frustration. The anger. The disappointment. And now the fear. I let it all out in the form of tears. My body shook as violent sobs escaped my lips and the pain I'd been feeling this morning could no longer be classified as a headache. It felt so much worse.

"Bella! Please talk to me…you weren't supposed to find out like this…"

I struggled to calm down as I realized I'd left my mom on the phone. I wasn't helping her at all by having her listen to me cry.

"I'm so sorry mom," I began, struggling to catch my breath. "I'm so sorry…I wanna…come home…I need to see you–"

"Hold on, you still don't know everything."

_I'm not sure I wanted to know any more. But I did have a couple questions…_

"How long have you had it mom?" I asked, wiping my eyes on the sleeve of my shirt.

"We found out a couple weeks ago, but according to the doctor I've had it for a couple of months now. It's in what he calls a stage 2, so it's not too bad. I have my surgery scheduled for next Tuesday and their going to do a lumpectomy. Everything will be okay after that, okay?" she said.

She sounded so composed and I could tell it was because she was trying to keep _me _calm, but it wasn't really working. I knew a little bit about how cancer worked from my biology and anatomy classes in high school. They could perform the surgery, but they might miss some cancer cells, and the whole thing would have been for naught.

"I think I should be there," I said.

"Honey that's the other thing…all these treatments and now this surgery, we barely have any money. We need to save whatever we have left for your college fund…and flying over here so quickly could be expensive."

Some things were beginning to make some sense.

"Is that why dad- ?" I began, but she cut me off.

"That's probably why. He's taking it pretty hard and doesn't know who to blame for this. I think when he found out what you were doing, he just took it out on you. I know it doesn't excuse him, but you've got to understand..."

I did. And I could feel a little load ease off my shoulders as the possibility that my dad might not actually hate me presented itself. Maybe he hadn't meant to disown me after all.

"You're more important to me than my education is mom…and I think I need to be there for your surgery," I persisted.

"No –"

"Yes mom, I do." There was a shocking tone of finality in my voice that it surprised even me. But my mom could be stubborn sometimes and this wasn't an argument she was going to win.

"Think about it first honey," she said, _her_ tone signaling one of resignation.

"I will. Tell dad I'll be seeing you guys soon."

"I love you."

"Love you too mom."

I waited for her to hang up before I did, and even then, I still didn't put away my phone. I needed time to absorb and organize all this information in my mind:

My dad had originally come here to tell me my mom had breast cancer…but he'd been sidetracked by me and Edward, and had chickened out by saying he had come to apologize to me instead. I'd been the perfect target for him to release all his pent up frustration on. Maybe he hadn't meant all those things he'd said on the phone to me…but wouldn't he have called by now?

_Probably too much pride_. But who was I trying to convince?

Either way. I would be seeing both of them soon.

My mind was so confused, but one thing stood out in my mind…and it was enough to start the flow of tears once more.

_My mom._

I slid down the length of the bed and curled up on my side, encircling my hands around my knees. The ache in my head had subsided, but it was still there. I could feel the weariness of my body now as my eyelids began to droop and I fell asleep.

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I wasn't sure how long I had been sleeping, but when I finally slid into a state of consciousness, I realized I wasn't alone. I could feel those familiar arms around me and when I opened my eyes, I was greeted with his troubled gaze.

I knew he'd want to know what was wrong because I was sure I looked like hell from all the crying I'd been doing. But I didn't want to talk about it yet. He was here now and that was all that mattered. I didn't have to keep everything from him anymore, but there were still some things I wasn't comfortable with myself – those would have to be kept quiet for now.

I tightened my arms around him and turned my face away from his questioning eyes. I could only imagine what his reaction would be when I told him about my mom.

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Don't hate me guys. You probably weren't expecting that, but just trust me with it. However, feel free to criticize...I can take it. lol

**Please review. :D**

**jojoStarr**


	6. Chapter 6 Confusion

**Hey everyone. Thank you so much for your kind reviews from the last chapter!**

** It's been a while again...and I'm sorry. I feel like such a hyprocrite now because I used to get so mad when an author would take far too long to update a story I liked. But I really can't help it. However, after I take my midterms and regents next week, I should have a little more free time. There won't need to be any intense studying for a couple of months after that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series.**

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Confusion

We remained motionless for a while, neither one of us speaking. As the silence continued to fill the air, my lowered eyes took a sudden fascination with his chest as it slowly moved in and out, following the motions of breathing. The blue and white stripes of his t-shirt soon began to blur before my eyes as my lids became increasingly heavy. And just as they were about to slide shut, I noticed a movement in his direction, and quickly snapped them open.

He'd lifted up his arm and I soon felt his fingers touch my chin, beckoning me to look up.

"Bella," he murmured, as soon as my eyes met his. "What's wrong?"

I sighed quietly and quickly looked away from his searching gaze. It was as though he was trying to see _inside_ me, to find out for himself what the problem was. However it was unnerving, and much too intense. I couldn't get my voice to cooperate when he was looking at me like that –so caring.

But it was _nice _to know someone cared enough to be with me at this moment…and the least I could do was tell him what was bothering me.

Keeping my eyes carefully placed on the wall behind him, I proceeded to answer. I could feel the dryness in my throat from crying and as I spoke, I had trouble believing that the weary, hoarse voice leaving my lips was my own.

"My mom has breast cancer."

_That wasn't too hard._

I glanced up to see a series of emotions cross Edward's face: surprise, confusion, pain understaning, before he tightened his arms around me – a deep breath escaping his lips.

"I'm so sorry Bella," he muttered, looking both thoughtful and sympathetic. But there was no pity…and for that I was glad. He knew me too well. What I needed was support and his comforting touch was doing just that.

"She's having surgery next week and I need to be there," I continued, my confidence building within me now that the hard part was done.

He nodded and as he opened his mouth to speak, I struggled to pull myself up into a seating position. However, in the process, I was hit with a fresh wave of dizziness and anything he may have said was lost to me. I reflexively closed my eyes as my right hand found its way to my forehead, while my back rested against the backboard.

When the pain had subsided and I opened my eyes, it was to find his emerald pair, watching me expectantly.

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Would you like me to come with you? I could pay for both tickets..."

A silent groan escaped my lips and I turned my eyes to the plain, white ceiling above.

_I'd been expecting him to say something like that...just not this soon. There were so many reasons why he shouldn't come…the biggest of them my father. I had a feeling Edward knew Charlie disliked him, but he didn't know how much. And if they were to meet again…I'm not sure how that would go – especially since we weren't even speaking right now. Then there was the plane ticket. If he were to pay for it, that would take a little weight off my shoulders, but it was one of the things I wasn't comfortable with. He shouldn't have to pay for something like that…it's not like we were married. And if what my mom had said was true, whether or not I paid for the ticket would not change the fact that I most likely would not be going to this school next semester._

"Well?"

I snapped back to the present and wracked my brain for the right words to kindly decline his offer.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea…" I said, slowly.

Confusion and hurt etched his features before comprehension quickly sunk in.

"Is it because of your father?" he asked.

_Somewhat._

I nodded.

"Well, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to show him how much I care about you and your family? It would be easier for me to talk to him," his lips insisted, while his eyes searched mine.

_He wasn't going to let me go alone, that much I could see from the determined look in his eyes…and he did have a point…_

"Alright," I resigned, far too quickly in my opinion. Although, it was plain he obviously wasn't going to give up, I hadn't even put up a fight. That probably had to do with the fact that although my brain knew this wasn't a great idea, my heart wanted him to be by my side at all times. "But I'm buying my ticket," I quickly added.

His mouth opened and I knew he was going to argue, but I gave him a look that said '_take it or leave it,_' causing him to frown.

"Okay," he muttered.

_That was relatively easy._

I sighed at this momentary, but sour victory before seeming to once more remember where I was.

"What time is it?" I asked, swinging my legs over the side of the bed before getting on my feet. It felt so good to have them back…

He followed my lead before glancing down at his watch.

"11:00 pm…you'll need to getting back soon," he answered, looking somewhat disappointed. I would have smiled if my mood wasn't so low.

I took a step towards the door but quickly stopped in my tracks. For the first time since I had woken up, I heard the voices coming from the living room.

I turned to Edward, noticing the uncertainty in his eyes.

"Could you tell them what happened when I'm gone?" I asked him. I was not in the mood for the pity party they would most likely throw for me.

"Sure," he answered, understanding covering his features as he took my hand and led me out of the room.

I followed him into the bright living room and we went unnoticed until I stepped on a squeaky floorboard. One by one they looked up from what they'd been doing, but Alice was the first to notice us.

"Bella! What happened to you?!" she squealed, excitement coloring her features as she jumped out of Jasper's arms to meet me. "You totally scared us!"

"Sorry," I mumbled, bending down to give her a hug. "I just didn't feel good."

As the half lie left my mouth, I felt as though I was being watched and glanced up behind her to find Jasper giving me a curious, almost skeptical look, before quickly looking away. Perhaps I hadn't sounded convincing enough.

"You _are_ burning up!" Alice confirmed, pressing her hand to my forehead.

"You should have called and told us where you were," Rose said, disapprovingly. I glanced up in surprise and followed her voice to corner of the room, where she sat with Emmett's head resting in her lap. His excited face was a complete contrast to her frowning one.

"Well, I didn't think you guys would miss me," I answered lamely.

A snort came from her direction as Emmett sat up in the seat.

"Miss you?! Edward went ballistic!" he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Practically tore up the whole campus looking for you when you wouldn't answer your phone!"

A ghost of a smile made its way onto my face as I glanced up at the guy beside me.

His eyes shot daggers over my head at a still chuckling Emmett before he led me over to a seat.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, pulling my head, which I quickly shook, to his chest. I hadn't eaten all day, but the thought of food didn't sound very pleasing at the moment.

I curled up to him and turned my eyes to the T.V., surprised to see the local news station on.

"What's going on?" I asked Jasper, as I struggled to understand the images flashing across the screen. Alice was busy discussing something with Emmett and Rose and he seemed to be the only paying attention to it.

"A burglary at a Christian bookstore, I think," he answered, glancing at me.

"Oh…weird," I said, but was momentarily distracted as Edward began to hum a beautiful tune in my ears.

"_The manager reported nine bibles and rosaries stolen, along with several candles.."_

Difficult as it was, I managed to shift my attention from his voice to the screen once more as Jasper increased the volume. Something about this held my attention.

"_Now, as said before…" _the female reporter on the screen continued, _"the quality of this surveillance tape is poor but you can still make out a small figure, suspected to be a female, with what seems to be long brown hair leaving the scene just moments before the alarm is set off."_

I felt Edward stiffen at my side, but the absurdity of this burglary fascinated me. Why on earth would someone do something like that?

"We've got to get you to your building," Edward said, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at the clock and quickly agreed.

I stood up after him and hurriedly put on my shoes before grabbing my backpack and coat.

"See you later guys," I called over my shoulder, before stepping out into the hallway.

Edward took my hand in his and as we walked towards the elevator, I could tell he had something on his mind

"What's up?" I asked, as we stepped into the lift.

"I was just wondering what day we should fly out," he answered, quickly glancing at me.

"Monday morning's good I guess…so we spend the night there, before her surgery the next day," I answered quietly, surprised that it didn't hurt to talk about it like I'd thought it would.

He nodded in agreement and opened the main door of the building as we stepped out into the windy night.

I spotted his car not far away and hurriedly pulled him with me to the warm shelter it offered. It was only after he'd started the car and pulled onto the road, that I remembered what or who I was going to be spending the night with.

"What is it?" he asked, worry etching his features as I let out a frustrated groan.

"Tanya," I grumbled.

His head quickly shot towards mine before returning to its previous position.

"What about her?" he asked, somewhat stiffly.

"She's my roommate," I muttered, realizing I hadn't told him yet.

"Is she bothering you?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

I glanced at his face and really did smile for the first time that day. He cared far too much.

"She hasn't done anything yet," I assured him, glancing out the window as he pulled into my parking lot.

He pulled up next to the front doors and turned towards me, skepticism coloring his features.

"I highly doubt that if she _was _bothering you, you would tell me," he said, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly.

"Well…" I trailed, carefully shifting my gaze.

"Exactly. But don't worry, I'll take care of it."

I glanced back in surprise at the finality in his voice. "Edward, really she hasn't-," I began, but he cut me off. Obviously filled with the intention to distract me from what I'd been about to say, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and gently pulled me to him, before placing his lips on mine.

And it worked.

When I pulled away moments later to catch my breath, I'd completely forgotten what I'd been about to say. I was furious…and he knew it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, chuckling lightly.

Huffing, I quickly picked up my things and stepped out of the car. As I hurried into the building, I heard him start the car, and grudgingly glanced back to see him waving.

When I walked into the building, Ed looked from his post and quickly glanced at a clock.

"Barely made it," he called, smiling his toothy grin.

"I know, sorry!" I called back, before stepping into an open elevator.

When it stopped on my floor and I began to walk towards my room, I found myself hoping that she wasn't there yet. That way, I could pretend to be asleep when she got back.

When I stepped into the empty room, I thought my wishes had been granted. But then again, the light had been on, and I could hear the faucet running in the bathroom…

I set down my things and quickly changed into the shirt I'd worn last night. I was already beneath the covers when she finally walked into the room.

"Hey Bella!" she greeted, sounding overly cheerful.

"Hey." I watched her with heightened senses as she made her way to her bed.

"How was your day?" she asked, turning to face me.

"Fine."

_What was she up to?_

"I was just wondering 'cause you didn't look so hot this morning," she said, shrugging.

_I thought she'd been asleep when I left in the morning. _The confusion must have showed on my face because she smiled.

"Plus you just missed Lauren," she continued. "She really wanted to see you."

I felt my eyes roll on their on accord as I reached over to turn off my lamp.

_I bet she did._

"Wait!"

I froze with my hand on the switch and glanced at her in frustration.

"What?"

"I know I usually support Lauren with whatever she does," she began, seeming to spit out each word. "But I seriously think she went too far this time…plus we've already punished you enough."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion as she settled into her bed.

"What'd she do?" I asked, when she didn't offer any more information.

"Just double check yourself before you leave tomorrow," she said, a smirk playing on her lips as she turned off her light.

"That's it?!" I asked, the frustration evident in my voice. But there was no reply.

I turned off my light as well and sunk into my sheets. The possibilities of the many things Lauren could have done were far too many to think of at this time. There were other things more important to concentrate on.

But seriously, could you say '_immature_'?

* * *

**I need to change the title for this story. When I first chose it, it was in my haste to start this sequel before I changed my mind. "She said Yes" was the name of a documentary my mom was watching at that time...so if you have any suggestions that might fit the summary of the story, let me know. I'll be sure to reward you :)**

**Please review and tell me what you thought.**

**Oh...and I haven't checked for mistakes yet, so please let me know if there are any.**

**:D jojoStarr**


	7. Chapter 7 What's Happening?

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I know..._gasp..._an update. I'm not very good at keeping my mind on studying.

**Thank you to the few of you who reviewed for the last chapter...I think it was like six people...or maybe it was five. Either way, compared to the 150 for the chapter before that, it was a huge blow to my already deflated ego -(another story for another time.)**

**If you guys don't like a chapter, I wish you would tell me what you didn't like so I can go back and change it. I know I've lost a few readers since there was a huge gap in my updating times but there are still more than 600 people who have this on story alert. Judging from previous amounts, at least a hundred people should be able to tell me what they thought of a chapter...enough to let me know whether I should continue or not. It lets me know that people are reading.**

**But If you guys would like me to stop this story, I really have no problem with that. Maybe I'll think of a new story plot later. I'm not pissed, just sad.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Series and its characters.**

* * *

What's Happening?

"_Oh my gawd…Oh my gawd…"_

I could hear the chant playing over and over again in my head as I struggled to sleep. The voice sounded frightened and panicked…and even though my current dream had left me feeling that way, it definitely wasn't mine.

"_Bella! Oh my gawd, hold on Lindsey."_

I had just drifted back to sleep when I felt a pair of hands begin to shake me carelessly.

Who was this? With any luck, there were probably five minutes before I had get up and ready for class.

"_Bella you have to see this!"_

My body finally registered that this was an attempt to get wake me up and I grudgingly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry at first, but I was soon able to make out the blonde head hovering over me.

"What?" I grumbled, swatting her hands off me.

She bent to pick up her cell phone from the bed before pointing to the T.V. in front of us.

I looked at her frazzled disposition before hesitantly glancing at the lit screen. She obviously wasn't waking me up for fun.

I was having a hard time seeing and understanding what was going on so I pushed the covers off my body and moved towards the T.V. I kneeled before the flashing screen and turned up the volume, before furiously rubbing the sleep from my eyes. When I could see clearly enough, I tried to understand the images before my eyes.

An ambulance was now pulling away from the screen while a few policemen in the background where placing yellow tape around a specific area. It was when the camera shifted that I noticed a familiar building in the background.

"Hey! That's–" I began, glancing to look at Tanya, but she didn't hear me. She was busy talking animatedly into her cell-phone.

The building looked oddly familiar to one of the libraries at my university. I knew this because I'd been there a couple of weeks back to research a few articles for my English paper.

"Tanya." I called, getting her attention. "What's happening?" I asked, when she finally looked at.

"A girl was killed." She muttered, closing her phone and sitting down on the edge of my bed.

My eyes widened in surprise as I realized she must have known the girl…or else it wouldn't be affecting her this much.

"Early this morning on campus," I heard her voice quietly add.

My head snapped up in surprise and I began to hope I hadn't heard her correctly.

"What did you say?" I asked, my fingers crossed beneath me.

"This morning, in the parking lot of one the research libraries, she was killed," she clarified.

_Woah._

I could feel my heart drop into the pit of my stomach at her comment. A murder? At our University? It was _so _close.

"Look." She muttered, pointing at the screen. I turned around and tucked my legs beneath me as I faced the screen. A familiar looking reporter was now on the screen, preparing to speak.

"_For those of you just tuning in, we have some tragic new to deliver. This morning at approximately 2am the body of one of Cullen University's many students was found in the parking lot of one of the many libraries. Alexia Wireman, age 18, was found by a fellow student in this very spot." _She stated, pointing to the enclosed area behind her.

"_Officials reported to the scene immediately and what they found is something you have to see for yourself. Although the area is now cleared, Michael Anderson, the student who found her, was able to snap some photos of the area before the police arrived. Now we will warn you this is graphic so if you're objective to blood, we advise you no to watch."_

The woman held up a picture and I watched in anticipation as the camera zoomed in on it.

"What the hell?" I heard Tanya murmur behind me, seconding my opinion.

A small brunette lay at an awkward angle on the pavement with blood seeping through the front of her shirt. Her eyes were open and although that momentarily startled me, that wasn't the most awkward thing.

A black bible, with the letter 'A' bolded in red, was fitted snugly between her hands –which remained folded at her waist. There was a red rosary protruding from the book and falling over her fingers. Even more confusing however, were the numerous lit candles surrounding her. I almost felt as though I should be remembering something.

"_Now_," the reporter's voice began as the picture as pulled away, "_we have Michael here to share with us what he saw_."

The camera switched over to a tall blonde in glasses who seemed quite shaken to be there.

"_So tell us what happened Mike_." The lady said, putting the microphone to his face.

"_Well, I was studying late for one of my art presentation and when I started to walk home, I saw a like a circle of lights twinkling on the ground ahead of me_." He began, his deep voice faltering slightly at the end.

"_And when I got closer, I saw that there was a girl in the center_." He said, taking a deep breath. "_At first I thought she was alive because her eyes were open, but then she wasn't. So I ran back to the librarians who were leaving the building and we called the cops. After that I took a couple of pictures 'cause I'm a photographer…and just in case no one believed me." _He muttered, glancing away somewhat ashamedly.

"_That's all right_." The reporter said, taking the microphone back. "_I wouldn't have believed something like that until I saw it with my own eyes as well. Thanks for talking to us Mike_."

The boy nodded curtly and quickly walked off the screen.

"_He was questioned as a possible suspect but a custodian and two librarians who were leaving the building at the same time as he, confirmed that his was indeed at the library during the suspected time of the murder."_

"_Autopsy reports will be released to the public shortly for the cause of death but until then, that is all the information we have for you_."

I had long since removed my eyes from the screen but I could hear her voice speaking in the background. A sudden chill had overtaken my body as I mourned for this unknown girl who'd had her whole life ahead of her.

"I knew her Bella." Tanya said quietly from behind me. "We went to the same high school."

I stood up from my crouched position on the floor and turned to her.

"I'm sorry." I said, not really knowing what else to do or say. We weren't friends.

She shook her head in dismay and stood up as well.

"We should get ready."

I glanced at the clock in surprise and realized Edward would be here in less than half an hour. I looked back at Tanya to find her picking out her clothes before making my way into the bathroom.

"Bella?"

I froze with my foot in the doorway and glanced back at her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't use your shampoo, body wash, body lotion, and make-up."

It took a while to register what she was saying before I shook my head in disbelief.

"You're kidding me." I stated rhetorically.

She shook her head, a faint smile teasing her lips.

"Not if you want to look like an oompa-loompa."

"Thanks." I muttered. Her mood swings were just as messed up as my boyfriend's.

-_A-_

"Good morning to you too." I said, giggling slightly after Edward finally calmed his attack on my lips.

He pulled back, resting his forehead on mine for a moment while his thumb stroked my cheek.

"I missed you." He said, those green eyes piercing mine.

I smiled unconsciously and pulled my arms away from his neck.

"I missed you too."

He smiled contently and situated himself in his seat before pulling away from my building.

I'd wanted to tell him about what I'd seen on the news this morning but he seemed excited for some reason and I didn't want to kill his mood.

"So I was thinking last night…" he began, casting me a sideways glance.

"About what?" I asked, noticing an usually long line of cars parked on the side of the street and veering off to the opposite direction of our destination –the direction of the library.

"Maybe we should leave for Phoenix a little bit earlier than planned."

My attention pulled away from the police cruiser that had driven past us and I looked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

There was no logical reason for why he'd want to be in the presence of my father for longer than was necessary.

"Well, you need to spend as much time as possible with your mom…you know, helping her out. And I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot longer than a day to have your dad warm up to me…" he added hesitantly.

Something about the way he stared straight ahead as he spoke unsettled me. Something was off.

"I don't know…" I began, struggling to think of a reason why we shouldn't leave early, but he actually made more sense.

"Well, you don't need to think about it." He said, finally casting me a sideways glance. " I already bout two tickets for Thursday."

"You did WHAT?!" I screamed, surprising both of us.

"Well…I thought that…" he muttered, seeming at a loss for words. "I'm sorry." He added dejectedly, reaching for my hand.

I snatched it away and folded my arms stubbornly in front of my chest. I couldn't believe he'd done this.

I'd made it perfectly clear that I was to pay for my ticket…for personal reasons. Now he'd taken that away and the current situation my family was in immediately felt too real. Why was he so set on changing they day that he would actually do it without tell me?!

His enthusiastic response upon seeing me suddenly made more sense. He'd been warming me up for the bomb he was about to drop.

He drove in silence and I continued to stare out the windshield. When he finally pulled up to his building, I immediately hopped out of the car and began to walk towards my class.

"Bella wait!"

I began to speed up but he was at my side in no time, his arms holding me in place.

"I'm sorry okay? I'll return the tickets if it's what you want but please don't be mad at me…I can't stand it…"

I made the mistake of glancing up at his face and immediately lost my composure. He eyes were so pleading.

God I was being so childish.

He held my gaze with his before I finally sighed.

"It's all right…we can go whenever you want to." I mumbled, extracting myself from his grip.

His eyes immediately twinkled with life as he ignored my silent protests and pulled me tightly to him.

"I love you, you know? I always will…I just want to do what's best for you." He whispered, pulling back to look at me. His mood had quickly turned serious and I couldn't help but feel like he was keeping something from me.

"I love you too." I said, pushing the thought to the back of my mind and earning myself a crooked grin.

But what was that saying again? _Always trust your instincts_?

* * *

**There's so much foreshadowing in this chapter it's not even funny. Lol. But the plot's unraveling.**

**Sorry for any mistakes, I'm in a hurry to get this out and if I'm found doing anything 'uneducational' on the computer, I'm dead**

**Please tell me your thoughts. Is there anything you liked or disliked?**

**jojoStarr**


	8. Chapter 8 Meet the 'Rents

**Heyy! I wanted to thank you guys for your awesome reviews…I loved hearing what you had to say. It's nice to know some people are still reading.**

**So, I learned that a few people forgot what the story was about so I wrote a quick summary below. And I also learned that there wasn't a smooth transition between the last few chapters so I'll try to go and fix that soon. It was the result of infrequent updating.**

**Summary: Bella's dad visited her at her place, initially to tell her that her mom had cancer, but he got side tracked when he witnessed her little scene with Edward…and chickened out. The rooming situation that put Edward and Bella in the same room is solved and Bella got a new place as well as a new room mate. That night her dad called her and yelled at her because she'd lied about living with Edward. Due to stress about the family's current situation, he presents an ultimatum and she stubbornly declines. The next day Bella isn't feeling well and after her first class heads over to Edward's place. She calls her mom and finds out the reason for Charlie's visit and his reaction. She tells Edward, he promises to tell their friends later, and they go to the living room and watch the news about a burglary. Edward then takes Bella back to her place, where Tanya later warns her that Lauren had been over there and had done something, but she doesn't say what. We later find out that the result of Bella using her body lotion, shampoo, body wash, or make-up would have been the appearance of an 'oompa-loompa.' The next morning Tanya wakes Bella up to watch the news because a girl she knew was killed on campus. Later, Edward picks Bella up for class and his behavior is a little iffy…especially when he tells her that they're leaving for Phoenix early.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Series and all its characters.**

* * *

Meet the 'Rents

That entire day, all everyone seemed to talk about was the murder…which I guess was normal.

There were some rumors that attendance to classes would not be mandatory until the case was solved, but I soon found out they were just that…rumors. We were repeatedly assured that the school was 'safe.'

All of my professors seemed to be on edge as they went about their lessons. Apparently, this was the 1st time something like this had happened at the university and no one knew how to handle it.

There were those of us who acted like nothing had happened…

When I'd gone out for lunch with my friends, they had completely ignored the subject; which was perfectly fine by me. I know it was a little selfish but I already had enough problems on my plate…and a dead girl added onto it would really ruin my appetite.

And there were people like Tanya, who were persistent in talking about and finding out what happened to the girl.

Every time I came back to our room, she was already there watching the news to find out the latest discovery in the case. There weren't many. The autopsy showed a stab wound but without the weapon, there was no hope in tracing the killer.

It was an odd murder and was quickly attracting the attention of the public.

It is needless to say, that I was actually relieved to be leaving for Phoenix early. When Thursday finally rolled around, I was more than ready to go.

"Why are you leaving again?" Tanya asked, watching me intently as I zipped up my duffel bag for the week.

"Family problems," I answered, barely glancing up at her.

"When are you coming back?"

I slipped my hands through the sleeves of my jacket and picked up the bag.

"Next Wednesday." I answered, finally looking at her. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, signifying her lack of sleep the past couple of days.

"Don't miss me too much okay?" I teased, turning around to head for the door –but not before I caught the look of disbelief on her face as she rolled her eyes.

"I'll _try _not to." She replied, sarcasm dripping off every word.

I slipped my shoes on by the door and stepped into the hallway, making my way to the elevator.

After pausing in the lobby to bid Ed goodbye and strict instructions on what to do with my car once it got here, I stepped out to the patiently waiting Volvo in front of the building –ignoring the impatient honk from the rumbling jeep behind it. I set my bag next to Edward's in the backseat and we were soon on our way.

The drive to the airport was quiet but that was fine by me. It was barely five in the morning and all I really wanted to do was sleep.

_-L-_

"BELLA!"

A scream I didn't know was in me escaped my lips as I was startled awake.

I placed my right hand over my rapidly beating heart and scowled at the grinning face above me.

Emmett.

Who else?

_Thwack._

"You idiot! We're supposed to bring her to him without a scratch...what do you think he'll do to us if we bring her and she's not alive?!"

I watched his face contort in pain as he raised his hand to rub the now sore spot on the back of his head.

"You can't scare somebody to death Rosie." He stated this as if was the most common thing in the world and she had been stupid to even suggest it.

I glanced behind him to find her raising her arm again and giggled.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" He resigned, wearily watching her as she lowered the arm.

"I always do," she smirked, taking a step back. "Now let's go."

Emmett turned to me once more and I watched in confusion as he gently placed his arms around my waist and lifted me out of the car.

"What are you doing?!" I asked, when instead of placing me on the ground, he slowly slung me over his shoulder.

"Just following orders! Edward's in there checking in for you guys with Alice and Jasper and he said to bring you in 'unscathed'."

I glanced down at Rose walking silently behind us, my eyes pleading, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"It doesn't mean you have to carry me!" I whined, avoiding the curious look of a little kid and his mom as they crossed in front of us.

I mean, sure it was a little dark out, but really?

"Have you seen yourself walk Bella?! Plus, apparently he knows every 'boo-boo' on your body…how he knows that, I don't want to know…but I'm not taking any chances!'

He boomed the last sentence as we stepped into the building and I felt my face color with embarrassment. There were far more people in here than there were outside and judging from the strange looks on their faces, they had heard Emmett loud and clear.

"Put me down Emmett!" I hissed into his ear, furiously struggling to wriggle out his grip.

He complied, and gingerly set me down on the floor, watching me as though I would fall over at any moment.

As If.

I huffed, not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall and searched with my eyes for Edward.

I saw him sitting in one of the lounges with a few papers in his hand and deep in conversation with Alice and Jasper.

My excitement at finding him filled my mind and I, forgetting my previous resolve, quickly turned on my heel to his direction to make my way towards him.

I realized all to late my mistake, when the ground quickly rushed up to meet my face. There was a soft thud as my body hit the floor.

"Man already!" Emmett guffawed as he bent down to offer me a hand. I glanced at the laughter in his eyes and took Rose's out stretched hand instead. I could tell she wanted to laugh too but at least she was trying not to.

I ignored the stares of those around me and pulled myself up before quickly straightening my clothes.

"Uh-Oh. Well…see you later Bella! Have a safe trip!" Emmett said, leaning down to pick me up for a hug before quickly pulling Rose after him. I waved uncertainly to her as they left and turned back to my previous destination –immediately understanding Emmett's reaction.

Edward had gotten up from his seat and was already halfway on his way to me. The look on his face was laughable as he glanced at the door Emmet had just pulled Rose out of.

"Are you okay?" He asked upon reaching me, his eyes already checking my body for injuries.

"I'm fine." I answered, waving off his concern. I'd fallen so many times my body was practically immune to 'boo-boos'.

Okay…maybe not.

"_**First call for flight 261 to Phoenix, Arizona.**_"

The male voice over the intercom blasted out the first warning for our flight and I easily welcomed the distraction as Edward reluctantly pulled his eyes from the rapidly swelling spot on my arm.

I glanced behind him to see Jasper and Alice patiently watching us.

She caught my eye threw me a tentative smile.

"I'll see you soon Alice." I said, pulling her into a hug.

"You better hurry back! We haven't been shopping together in a while," she said, her mood immediately lifting.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the small ball of energy and turned to smile at Jasper; but surprised to find myself pulled into a hug.

"Something's still bothering you Bella. I don't know what it is, but we're your friends and are here to help you…okay?" He'd whispered so softly and quickly, I wasn't sure if I'd heard him properly.

I pulled back, the question no doubt evident in my eyes.

_How did he know? Wait, he said he didn't know…but still._

I nodded and stepped back as Edward handed Jasper his keys. He then took my hand in his and I followed him through security and soon, onto our plane.

As he graciously offered me the window seat and we sat next to each other, I couldn't help but remember the last time we'd been on a plane together.

"What's so funny?" he asked, looking down at me with amusement. I hadn't realized I was laughing out loud.

"Do you remember the first time I met you on the plane?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before I saw what looked faintly like the color red, tint his cheeks.

"I was so rude to you," he muttered, glancing away somewhat embarrassedly.

"And cocky." I added triumphantly. "Because I fell asleep on your shoulder."

He shook his head slowly and I could see he was laughing. He put his arms around me and laid my head on his chest, before placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Well you can fall asleep on me anytime you want."

It must have been my twisted mind, because I don't think he meant that the way it sounded. But I loved teasing him with things like this.

I pulled back slightly and looked at him, eyebrows mile high.

"Really?" I asked, putting as much surprise as I could into my voice.

He seemed confused at my reaction and was almost quick to reply before realization covered his features.

It was priceless.

---

A few hours later, around the late afternoon, we arrived at the familiar airport. We got our bags, hailed a taxi, and after giving directions to the cab driver, were on our way to my house.

I leaned back into my seat and watched the familiar streets fly by. It felt so good to be back in the city, even if it wasn't for a great reason.

About 20 minutes later, the familiar, boring, suburban neighborhood I'd grown up in… where all the houses looked the same…came into view. I glanced at Edward to find him watching the passing houses as though they were the most interesting things in the world. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

The cab finally stopped in front of my house and I realized, much to my dismay, that he had already paid the driver before hand.

"So this is where you grew up?" he asked, staring up at the small brick house ahead of us as the taxi drove away. I had a feeling he had seen my facial expression and was only making conversation to avoid a fight.

I nodded and quickly stopped my gaze from wandering to the house next door.

"Come on," I said, gently tugging him towards the front door.

When we were finally there, I reached up and rang the doorbell. After what seemed like a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps padding towards the door, the sound of a lock clicking out of place, and the door opened.

My father looked at me, surprise evident in his features before it was soon replaced with contempt as he realized I was not alone.

I was pretty sure that if my mother hadn't come trailing after him in her night gown at that precise moment, he would have slammed the door in our faces.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, her weary face immediately lighting up.

Momentarily forgetting my partner, I dropped my bag on the porch and quickly pushed past Charlie to give her a hug.

"I missed you so much." I mumbled, holding her as tightly as I could.

She returned the pressure and pulled back to look at me.

"Did you grow an inch since I last saw you?" she teased.

But I wasn't laughing.

Had it really been a couple months go that I'd seen her at the hospital? She looked like she'd lost so much weight since then!

"Wasn't there someone else with you?" she asked, looking over my shoulder.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned around to find my dad with his arms crossed, and a satisfied look on his face as he surreptitiously glanced at the closed front door.

I threw him a look of disgust and quickly hurried to open it.

"Sorry about that Edward." I apologized, letting him in.

"It's alright," he replied sincerely.

I watched as his eyes surveyed the house before him and tried to look at it from his point of view.

The interior of the house was much more spacious than it look on the outside. As soon as you stepped into the large entryway, there were three directions to go. Left took you into the living room, right into the dining room, which had its own entryway leading to the kitchen, and a few steps forward eventually led you to the stairs which took you to the bedroom upstairs.

Average furniture filled the house, but occasionally your eyes would stumble over the many antiques decorating it. Some had been handed down from family and others my mom had taken upon herself to buy.

My favorite part of the house however, was the music room, which wasn't visible from here.

"And you must be Edward."

I watched as my mother smiled at him, ignored his outstretched hand, and pulled him in for a hug. It reminded me so much of my encounter with his mom.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again Mrs. Swan."

He threw her that crooked grin of his and it seemed to have its desired effect on her.

I glanced at my father and watched his frown deepen as he watched their interaction. I was almost tempted to warn him that his face would remain that way permanently if he kept that expression up.

"You too Mr. Swan," Edward finished, turning to greet my father.

He simply grunted in response and retreated to the living room. At least he'd acknowledged him.

"Show Edward to the guest room Bella and I'll make us dinner…we weren't expecting you this early."

I shook my head furiously and stopped her as she headed towards the kitchen.

"I'll make our food mom…"

"Nonsense!" she said, shrugging me off. "Now go clean up."

She threw me a meaningful look and I sighed, knowing there was no way to win this one.

I took my bag from where Edward had dropped them and led him towards the stairs. As we slowly began our ascent, my face immediately began to color. I had forgotten about the countless portraits that told my life's story as you made your way up the stairs.

"You were a cute baby."

I turned around on the landing to catch Edward gazing at one of my earliest pictures, his lips twitching. I knew exactly which one he was talking about.

"You mean I was a fat baby," I stated.

A burst of laughter escaped his lips and he continued after me.

"Is that what they call it these days?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I wanted so badly to wipe that smirk that was slowly etching its way onto his face.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you…I'm going to see your baby pictures very soon."

He shook his head laughingly and followed me down a hallway.

"Not if I get into my house first."

We reached the end of the hallway and I opened the door to my left.

"This will be your room," I said, leading him in. It was an averaged sized room with a full bed, closet, and because it was the guest room, void of any other objects.

"And your bathroom…" I pointed to a closed door next to those of the closets.

He nodded his head in approval and dropped his bag onto the bed.

"And where would _your _room be?" he inquired, already headed for the door.

I walked out after him and pointed to the door across from his.

"Right here."

The room was exactly the way I'd left it a few months ago. The high queen bed I'd had so much trouble getting into at night was in it's exact same corner, my ancient computer was still situated next to it, there were quite a few stuffed animals littering the floor, and thankfully, because I hadn't had an obsession with any movie stars or singers like Zac Efron and the Backstreet Boys, my deep blue walls were bare.

"I like it," he murmured from behind me.

I dropped my bag at the foot of my bed and turned around to face him.

"Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders and stepped closer to me, his arms encircling my waist.

"It suits you."

"Right." I smirked. He was just being polite. The reason this room was so bare is because I'd spent much more of my time somewhere else…but he'd get to see that later.

"Really…blue suits you."

I stood up on my tip-toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips, quickly pulling back when he tried to deepen it.

"We'll have time for that later," I said, in reply to the confused look on his face. "Right now, we have to get cleaned up for dinner."

A dinner I was sure would be a disaster.

* * *

**This story is going to be completely different from This Lullaby, in case you haven't noticed, but I'm still going to keep the musical element. In fact, it will play a very big part.**

**Also, I was going to include the rest of the day in this chapter but that would have made it too long...hopefully you don't mind.**

**So please tell me what you thought. :)**

**jojoStarr**

**P.S. No, Edward is not the murderer. Lol.**


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